Sir Alex Ferguson's commitment to two of his most celebrated stars was proven as he made a quick turnaround from leading Manchester United to a vital 2-1 over Arsenal to attend a Football Writers' Association tribute evening to honour Paul Scholes and Gary Neville.

The pair, two of United's most decorated players, became the first dual recipients of the glamorous award given by the FWA, and Ferguson was quick to praise two of the players who have formed the bedrock of his successful tenure at Old Trafford.

He said of the pair: "They are phenomenal professionals who were dedicated to their jobs and that is why they lasted so long.

"For Manchester United to bring through two local boys who then spend 18 or 19 years with you is fantastic."

Despite both players enjoying long and successful careers with United, off the field Ferguson revealed they could not be more different.

"I think that Gary is a very forthright guy and speaks the truth and is prepared to say it and he has always been that way," he said.

"I think you see him on television now and he is fantastic because he is forthright and there are no side issues. There is no grey area with Gary, it is very black and white, whereas Paul doesn't say much but when he says something it is worth listening to."

The decision to present both Neville and Scholes with the award was taken at the end of last season when both had announced their retirements but now Scholes is back and still playing a key role as the Red Devils try to chase down local rivals Manchester City at the Barclays Premier League summit.

The 37-year-old midfielder has drawn plaudits from all quarters and was praised by another hero of Old Trafford, Sir Bobby Charlton.

He said: "You shouldn't have favourites I suppose but Paul was special.

"He had a natural ability that was breathtaking to see in a young boy and his peripheral vision was amazing."

Neville, too, was quick to praise his long time team-mate and friend.

He said: "As a player he is a great player and the best I've ever played with and to be fair most players who have played with him or against him say the same thing.

"You can think about people who played for the club for three, four or five years and had a great impact but Scholesy and Ryan (Giggs) have played for the club for 20 years and had an impact season after season.

"When you see him getting mentioned in the same league as (Zinedine) Zidane and Xavi, which he constantly does, not by me but by people who know much more about the game than me and who have played against him."

Neville has now hung up his boots for good and is plying his trade as a television pundit but his former team-mate Scholes has returned to the first team fold with ambitions to pick up his 11th Premier League winners medal come May.